Five ways SMEs can boost recruitment & retention

The cost of recruiting and training a new staff member can be quite significant in a small business. SME owners have a lot to gain by reviewing their people processes and investing in ways to retain their employees.

Here, HR experts CharlieHR highlight five ways to improve SME retention and boost recruitment to your team.

1. Boost team diversity for fresh thinking and creativity
Increasing the diversity of your team will improve company growth and creativity. Having a diverse team is proven to drive benefits, by creating a fresh culture that’s more open to new ideas, ways of working and creative problem solving.
Stating your commitment to diversity can attract new team members and engage existing ones. It’s something that people really care about and want to see reflected in their place of work.

2. Invest in learning and development
People are motivated by employers that support their growth and development. Employees with regular development opportunities will be more engaged and, in turn, their new skills make them more likely to be promoted or take on new responsibilities.
Learning and development will help your team not just to grow in their roles, but to become more creative, connected and valuable.

3. Increase how often you meet for individual ‘check-ins’
It’s important for your team to feel valued and that their thoughts and ideas are being taken into consideration. You also want your team to trust you, and for them to feel they can air any concerns openly and honestly.
This is why regular check-ins are important. They help establish solid working relationships and good communication. When you’re running a growing business, things like this can slip through the net. But taking time to talk to team members individually is crucial in gaining their opinions, understanding their goals and guiding them to grow and develop their skills and career.

4. Actively support your team’s mental health
Visibly supporting your team’s mental health should be a priority. Encourage senior employees to watch for signs of stress among their colleagues and seek ways to help.
Consider implementing an Employee Assistance Programme, so that your team can easily access medical professionals, counselling and other services such as legal advice.
Set up a monthly wellbeing budget to support mental health, perhaps to fund a mindfulness session, yoga class or discounted gym membership. Look to introduce duvet days, mental health sick days or personal days giving people paid time-off when their mental health is feeling challenged.

5. Upgrade your policies and procedures
Having clear policies and procedures saves you time in answering questions and managing team expectations. It also protects you should challenging situations arise.

Your employee handbook and staff contracts should be reviewed and updated every year – and that’s is an opportunity to be more progressive and inclusive. Consider policies that will help you create a great culture in your organisation. Examples might be enhanced family-friendly policies, anti-bullying or anti-racism policies.

Make your handbook easy to read – no one wants to read a 100-page document. Commit to making it user-friendly and simple. After all, this is one of the first impressions a new starter will have of your company.
Running a small business is a demanding task and it can be challenging to make sure you’re achieving all your SME recruitment and retention tasks. Many companies find that it pays to seek outsourced HR support to ensure you’re engaging and retaining your people.

Article first published on wmpeople.co.uk, who operate jobs boards workingmums.co.uk, workingdads.co.uk and workingwise.co.uk